Odisha has made remarkable strides in reducing its secondary school dropout rate from 49.47% in 2014-15 to 15% in 2024-25, as reported by the government think-tank Niti Aayog. This reduction of over 34.47 percentage points positions Odisha among the leading states in improving student retention. Despite this progress, the state's dropout rate remains higher than the national average of 11.5%, indicating ongoing challenges in education. At the primary level, dropout rates have significantly decreased from 2.93% to 0.7%, while the upper primary level saw a slight increase from 2.8% to 3.2%, still below the national average of 3.5%. The report also highlights improvements in school infrastructure, with access to computers rising from 13.1% to 76.7% and electricity access in schools increasing from 28% to 96.9%. Education expert Laxmidhar Panda noted that these changes reflect a decade-long commitment by the Odisha government to enhance the accessibility and functionality of schools, particularly in rural and tribal areas.